Pandora's Box
by Emmy Pendle
Summary: 'PANDORA'S BOX' is the second story in the 'Masquerade' series, it is a fast paced story that centre's around Draco and Hermione's upcoming wedding at Hogwarts. After everything running smoothly for Draco and Hermione a startling twist calls the whole wedding into question. With some terrifying news from friends, it seems unlikely that the wedding will ever happen.
1. Prologue

PANDORA'S BOX 

by Emmy Pendle

Prologue

Life had been blissful for Hermione and Draco since their engagement. Hermione had moved into The Shrieking Shack with Draco, although she stayed up at the castle during the week, as she had recently been promoted to Head of Gryffindor and felt that she ought to be available for her students. This gave Draco the time he needed to work on writing his new book, which was sought after by popular demand from both his wizard and muggle publishers. So life was sweet for the both of them.

Preparations were well under way for their wedding ceremony and after many discussions, Headmistress McGonagal had talked the couple into allowing Hogwarts to host the ceremony. She had bombarded them with reasons why they should do so: including that they would be leading a great example to the students in promoting inter-house relationships. Draco and Hermione felt that they couldn't really say no to such wise words from Minerva, and the more they thought about it, the greater the appeal of being married in the place where (although in less than happy circumstances) the couple had first met.

The Great Hall was lined up to be the venue and everyone; students, staff, friends and family were all very excited. Aurelia had designed the wedding clothes and had also agreed to be a bridesmaid. Luna and Neville had taken care of all the invitations and menu's, Gianni from Venice had spoken with the Hogwarts house-elves regarding the catering and Narcissa was in her element regarding decorations, everything was so under control, that Hermione and Draco, really had nothing to worry about at all and they were far more relaxed, as they entered into the last month before the wedding, as they had imagined they would be.

Everything was wonderful for the happy couple.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter Two

"Pancakes?" Hermione shouted to Draco who was sat at the table at the far end of the kitchen reading a fresh copy of the Quibbler.

"Oh yes please." He replied, his grey eyes peering over the top of the paper.

"Coming up." Hermione said as she walked towards him with a stack of freshly made pancakes, drizzled in blueberry syrup and fresh double cream. She wore a thin white night dress and her hair was tousled from the night before. Draco put his paper down and took the plate from her.

"Thank you gorgeous." He said as she bent down to kiss him. "Yummmm!" he added.

"You haven't tasted them yet!" She laughed.

"Oh I know-that was for you." He said, giving her a sexy wink.

Hermione giggled and went back to the stove to prepare her own breakfast. "I can't believe it's Monday already!" She said, having to raise her voice over the sound of sizzling oil. "I wish I could just crawl back into bed with you this morning."

"I know how you feel." Draco said cheekily, a sexy growl in his voice. "I am still hungry."

"Do you want some more pancakes?" Hermione asked, naively misunderstanding Draco's intent.

Draco smiled to himself; as much as he wanted her, he knew she had to get back up to the castle and didn't want to complicate things for her, so he just said, "No thanks, I need to get back to writing," and let her continue what she was doing without further interruptions.

Hermione ate her breakfast, and by the time she had finished she was running slightly late for assembly. She considered using the secret passage under the shack, but decided that taking on The Whomping Willow would not improve her Monday Morning, so she dressed quickly, kissed Draco goodbye and set off at a run back to Hogwarts.

She met Hagrid along the track up to the School, he was carrying a sack that disconcertingly appeared to be leaking red fluid onto the grass.

"Err, what is that Hagrid?" Hermione asked with a worried look on her face.

"Ooh, you don' need to worry yer 'ead 'bout tha'." Hagrid said, looking a little sheepish. "It's nothin' really. Just some groundkeepin' business." He added.

"Can I help you?" Hermione asked, wanting more information without appearing to be prying.

"No no," Hagrid said, brushing aside Hermione's offer, "yer a bit late aren't ya?"

Hermione, realising how late she was, gave up on her quest to know what Hagrid was doing and bade him goodbye.

"See ya later 'ermione." Hagrid said and Hermione went on her way.

She hurried through the grounds as fast as she could and by the time she reached the great hall, students were already filing out of the huge double-doors, heading off to class. Hermione rushed up the stairs and somehow managed to get to her classroom before any of her students. She was still trying to catch her breath when the first group of pupils came through the door.

For the first period on Monday mornings Hermione took her eighth year NEWT students for Advanced Arithmancy. They were an intelligent and responsible group of seventeen and eighteen year olds and Hermione thoroughly enjoyed teaching them. They were four weeks into a new school year and her NEWT students were in the middle of a project that would count towards their final grades; they had been tasked with using an ancient form of Arithmancy to predict an event that would occur before the next full moon.

"Look to the planets and their corresponding numerological patterns." Hermione explained, drawing a complex diagram on the blackboard, "Don't expect any great revelations," she added with a smile, "it takes many years to fully interpret the numbers with any significance. For example," She turned and began scribbling on the board, "if Jupiter is 483.78 million miles from the Sun, and is spinning at 12.6 miles per second, you must divide this number from it's co-ordinates on it's orbit, and then determine it's relative position to Earth in order to be able to predict it's effects upon the Earth, and even then only those who had Jupiter rising in their Birth Chart would be affected." then turning around to face her students, she said, "so you can appreciate just how complex this type of Arithmancy is; I am only taking your calculations into account in order to Grade you, this is not Divination." she laughed, "and I will not be expecting any remarkable predictions to come true."

Her students smiled, knowing how little faith Hermione had in that particular branch of magic, they took out charts and tools, and worked quietly for the next half an hour.

"I think I have found something significant!" A high pitched voice rang out above the quiet scratching of quills on parchment.

"What is it Cassandra?" Hermione asked walking over to the raven haired witch's desk.

"Can you see Mars' orbit?" Cassandra asked, "Well... when you combine it with the orbit at the end of July 1980, you can see that there are similarities, but when you look at the planetary alignment and then at the moon, you can see that according to this old text, something of dire importance is fortold, isn't that when Harry Potter was born miss?"

"Yes and..?"

"Well, the numbers of this similar event suggest that someone born in that time will face a great and terrible challenge! Poor Harry!" Cassandra said dramatically.

"Calm down, you are reading far too much into this, I can assure you that Harry is happy and healthy and his only concerns right now are who is going to change the next nappy. You will get points for the complexity of your working out though – well done." Hermione went back to her desk, but the classroom was filled with hushed murmurings, as the students discussed Cassandra's findings.

Hermione thought about what her student had said for a little while, before shaking her head and laughing it off. She had been taking this class for five years now and there had never been a single incidence of a serious prediction coming true.


End file.
